Press Release
Shetland tops ‘Earth Hour’ table
Shetland has topped the table in the ‘WWF Earth Hour County Sign-Up Challenge’. The Challenge, which pitted UK counties against each other, was based on the percentage of population signing up to switch off their lights for Earth Hour on Saturday 26 March from 8.30-9.30pm. The landslide win saw 355 Shetland Residents, 7 businesses and 7 organisations sign up to take part in Earth Hour.
The Council’s Waste Prevention Officer Anona Hughson said, “I was amazed by the level of support from Shetland. Coming out top is a fantastic achievement. The main aim of the Earth Hour campaign was to challenge folk to reassess the way they currently use energy. However, there was also a fun side, with some imaginative pledges being made by people on the website and examples of communities working together on this”.
One example was in West Sandwick where the local public hall opened up for a candle-lit games night and encouraged those who could not make it to put off their lights for the hour. Rachel Colclough, secretary for the West Sandwick Hall said, “It was nice the community pulled together and every household did their bit. Turning the power off let us enjoy the lovely starry night!”
Stephen Cooper Head of Environment and Building Services reflected on the campaign by saying. “I would like to pay tribute to the Environment & Energy Team for all their hard work. The level of support we saw at the weekend says a lot about Shetland as a place. It proves that climate change and reducing carbon is something Shetlanders take very seriously.”